Political turmoil is currently engulfing Ethiopia. The struggle of the Oromo people for liberation and the aftermath of the so-called election of 15th May 2005 are rocking the empire. The Amhara elite, led by the CUD (Coalition for Unity and Democracy), which has been organizing itself both covert and overt, failed to recapture state power through the ballot box. Determined to overtake the government by all means, it is applying mass insurrection as the last resort. The Melles regime, dominated by the TPLF (Tigray People's Liberation Front) refuses to surrender and it is fighting back with utter determination employing the state machinery at its disposal. Both, the CUD and the TPLF are now at each other's throats.

At this juncture, it is extremely crucial for the Oromo nation to identify and position itself precisely and clearly on its own ground. Obviously, our people and the rest of the subject nations in the empire have demonstrated political maturity and wisdom by not taking sides in the battle between the TPLF and the CUD that would have amounted to choosing between two alien oppressive rulers. Both groups, the Tigray and Amhara elites are fighting each other over who has to rule the empire in order to exploit the resources of Oromiyaa and other regions in the empire.

The Oromo national liberation struggle is directed against the empire state of Ethiopia currently led by the TPLF. Our people have suffered atrocities of unprecedented magnitude under Melles' regime: summary killings, mass imprisonment, depraved neglect and extreme poverty. The Ethiopian state is and remains the prime enemy of our struggle.

We are also fully aware that the Amhara-led CUD, if they achieve state power as they are now desperately trying to do, are prepared to use that power to suppress the Oromo. It is vital to recognize the danger poised by the CUD. It is manifestly bent on re-instating the old order of the Amhara-dominated empire of Ethiopia. CUD is determined to reverse even the limited gains that our struggle has so far scored through the sacrifice of the best and brightest daughters and sons of Oromiyaa. CUD vehemently opposes the right of the Oromo nation to self-determination. It has vowed to rub out the map of Oromiyaa, abolish the use of Afaan Oromoo and disband the seemingly self-administration of Oromiyaa. The CUD sees the renaissance of the Oromo culture and the emerging young Oromo nationalists as a serious threat to be dealt with resolutely in order for its agenda of keeping the empire intact is to succeed. The CUD is determined to attack and destroy the substance of Oromo nationhood. Simply because the CUD is currently struggling against the Meles regime in order to reclaim state power, the Oromo should not lose sight of the fact that the CUD is equally the enemy of the Oromo National Cause. It can't be seen as an ally in our struggle in any form or fashion. Naivety in this regard will amount to political suicide for the Oromo. The often cited phrase,” the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” does not serve our purpose.

We appreciate the political consciousness and maturity our people have demonstrated in positioning themselves independently without being maneuvered either by the cunning of the TPLF or of the CUD. Obviously, the Oromo have to work diligently on forging alliances with the peoples with whom we share common interest. All the peoples equally suffering under the Ethiopian rule are our strategic allies, embedded in our history and the Abyssinian colonial experience.

The conflicts in the Ethiopian empire, which are taking place at this very moment, are of different nature:

• The fight between the two Abyssinian groups, namely the Tigre and Amhara elites on who has to rule the empire, and

• The liberation struggle of the subject nations against both the Abysinian elites to reinstate their independence.

The conflict between the Abyssinian elites may be reconcilable in as much as they agree to preserve the empire state. On the contrary, there is a principal contradiction between the Ethiopian state and the Oromo people whose interests are mutually exclusive and thus irreconcilable. The liberation of Oromiyaa necessitates the dismantling of the Ethiopian colonial empire, which predetermines the nature of the conflict between the Oromo people and Abyssinians of all sorts. Oromiyaa must be decolonized and this has to be clearly articulated.

The Oromo liberation struggle is a legitimate undertaking to regain the sovereignty of Oromiyaa. This is the aspiration to realize a fundamental, universal human right and birthright of a nation to be free and live peacefully among the community of nations. The Ethiopian state is an empire built on conquest of sovereign nations and sustained through brute force and coercion. Like all empires, it shall crumble and make way for fraternal and independent nations, just as the late empires of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. Obviously, this process does not occur easily since the beneficiaries of the empire never submit to the will of their subject nations. Consequently, our national liberation struggle encompasses physical confrontation and other forms of resistance as we are engaged in dismantling the empire and the decolonization Oromiyaa.

The Oromo Liberation Struggle has to be properly organized, networked and efficiently lead on a national scale. It shouldn't be an appendix to any other interest or fall prey to any of the Abyssinian forces. The Oromo people are a big nation with the potential capacity and capability to take care of its affairs on its own. The Oromo Liberation Organizations have to consider this basic fact, which is fundamental to the cause of our struggle and essential to deliver the objectives set in our programs. In a nut shell, we have to stop playing the role of a king-maker simply to fight it later on.

The Oromo Liberation Council (OLC) urges all Oromo Liberation organizations to carefully and properly weigh and consider the circumstances under which our struggle is carried out and the form it takes. Ill-prepared attempt is doomed to be quashed by the heavy-handed government forces. It can only lead to a loss of the precious lives of our compatriots thereby depriving the struggle of its dynamics. There is a need for utmost care, sense of responsibility and accountability in leading the national task of such a magnitude. There is no short-cut to free Oromiyaa; it demands farsightedness, deep-breath, unflinching commitment and unwavering determination. We can earn it only and only through hard work, rational thinking, cautious and a well calculated move and adequately organized engagement. Most of all, all the Oromo forces and the Oromo people at large have to connect with each other, reach consensus, co-ordinate our efforts and bundle our forces before we confront the Ethiopian regime in whatever form. There is a need to bring about national consensus, cultivate the spirit of ULFO and upgrade its performances in this respect.

We appeal to our people not to be consumed in the battle between the TPLF and the CUD and in service of the empire. Instead, we have to be organized efficiently, assess and evaluate the situation properly, get networked effectively and make a calculated move to promote the struggle. We have got to keep our organizational independence and determine the pace of our struggle sovereign taking the overall situation judiciously into consideration; guard our struggle and determine the course of events to our won advantage.